The Hero's Catchphrase

"Today's horoscope for my sign says... Hey, sixth place!"

'With twelve zodiac signs, isn't that about average?'

"It's neither good nor bad. In other words, whatever happens today will be down to my own abilities."

'I see. Pointlessly positive thinking.'

"That said, can you think of anything that takes skill but is still affected by luck?"

'Mahjong, perhaps.'

"I'd be motivated to play strip mahjong with you, Goddess-sama."

'You really are a bundle of lust. I'm incredibly lucky, so you'd better not.'

"How lucky are we talking?"

'Let's take out an automatic mahjong table and find out.'

"All right, now! Swallow Return!"

※A cheating technique in mahjong: an advanced skill for switching all the tiles in your hand.

'It's an automatic table. There's no point doing that before you've even seen your tiles.'

"I just wanted to show it off once."

'That was certainly impressive, but what good is announcing it before you use it?'

"But I'm one tile away from tenpai! One tile!"

※In mahjong, you win when you complete a hand. One tile away is tenpai; two tiles away is iishanten.

'Your draws are pointlessly good.'

"What about you, Goddess-sama?"

'I have a Daisūrin and a Tenhou.'

"That's beyond good luck. And what an old-school hand."

※Tenhou is a yakuman won by the dealer with their initial hand.

※Daisūrin is a yakuman found in some local rules.

'Whether it's a single or double yakuman, you've lost. But if you take off your clothes, I'll peel your skin off with them.'

"Then I'll offer you my pudding snack instead."

'Deal.'

"I feel like there's no point challenging you when I can't beat you on skill and my luck is only average."

'You've grown to realize that.'

"There's not much point in taking on a match I can win, either."

'I'm specialized in combat, after all.'

"Aren't you specialized in reincarnation?"

'Gods specialized in reincarnation send people through the process like an assembly line, without even talking to them.'

"A god with all the downsides of automation. One-on-one interviews are just right, aren't they?"

'Yes. One interview per person is just right.'

"That's pretty harsh. By the way, what's your zodiac sign, Goddess-sama?"

'Why would I, a goddess, fit into a framework set by the gods?'

"Then what's your blood type?"

'My blood is divine, so it doesn't match any blood type.'

"So you can't get a transfusion."

'Gods don't die from blood loss to begin with.'

"Then how about palm reading?"

'Oh, I can do that. Go ahead.'

"Hmm, it's soft."

'You're always looking for an opening.'

"Respawn. I can't believe you made me disappear and left only my arm behind... But at a glance, your palm lines looked pretty ordinary."

'The fact that you kept reading my palm even as you died suggests fortune-telling might be your calling.'

"The problem is, I don't know anything about palmistry."

'Then there was no point showing you my hand.'

"Oh, but you had one marriage line."

'You can tell that much? Well, it's not as if I'll ever get married.'

"Your apparent age is right on the edge of being too young to marry, Goddess-sama."

'Your skill today is pretty impressive.'

"Respawn. I didn't think I was that skilled at provoking you, Goddess-sama."

'In terms of appearance, I should look just barely around sixteen.'

"Well, a woman with a less developed figure might look about that age."

'Good grief. How old would you say you look, then? Around twenty?'

"Respawn. I was a little older than that when I died."

'You have a surprisingly youthful face.'

"Not as youthful as yours."

'Anyway, while you're respawning, let's start preparing for your reincarnation in another world.'

"Respawn, and then Gasaramas. A submission from Rabitan-san: 'The Hero's Catchphrase.'"

'Is this something conceptual?'

"I wonder if it is. Characters with catchphrases tend to leave an impression."

'That's right. Signature lines are important, but catchphrases that give someone personality stay in people's hearts.'

"But can we really call this reincarnation?"

'I wish you'd started having those doubts a little earlier.'

"It seems hard to fight with a catchphrase."

'If you're fighting with words, that might mean insults or winning arguments.'

"I don't make a habit of using foul language."

'That's rich coming from a filthy man drowning in lust.'

"As a healthy young man, I think lust is necessary."

'It's unnecessary this time, since it's a catchphrase.'

"Anyway, since I've drawn it, I have to do it. I'm off."

◇

'This is your lifeline. It's thick and long. Your love line is clear and strong, too, but what it means is...'

"I'm back. Are you studying palmistry?"

'Yes, just the basics.'

"Can you read my palm?"

'Your lifeline is extremely short.'

"Makes sense. I died young."

'In a sense, you lived a long time, though. This was the Hero's catchphrase, wasn't it?'

"Yes. I became the catchphrase of a young man named Shiano, who was a Hero."

'I know I had you reincarnate as a catchphrase, but what was that like?'

"Well, when Shiano awakened as a Hero, I took root in him as a word-spirit, and his catchphrase changed."

'Having your catchphrase change on its own sounds pretty inconvenient.'

"Before that, Shiano's main catchphrases were 'This sucks,' 'Just my luck,' and 'Oh, well.' He also talked to himself a lot."

'A lazy guy like you'd often see in light novels? Those types always turn out to have a burning spirit inside them.'

"That's right. He was a slovenly guy most of the time, but when it mattered, he had a fiery core. He was talented, too—not only skilled with a sword, but able to cast magic by saying just its name, without an incantation. A true protagonist type."

'These days, it's not unusual for them to stop shouting even the technique's name. But if your presence changed his catchphrase, that would at least dispel some of his lazy-guy image. So what was your catchphrase?'

"'Resound, Tempest Lightning.'"

'Again.'

"'Resound, Tempest Lightning.'"

'That was your catchphrase?'

"Yes."

'That makes no sense.'

"For example, during an adventure, they'd come across a merchant surrounded by bandits. Then Shiano would say, 'Sigh, on a nice day like this, I run into bandits doing their job. And they've spotted me, too. Looks like I'm about to get surrounded. Resound, Tempest Lightning.'"

'He sounds pretty quick to assess things and act.'

"Then Tempest Lightning would be unleashed."

'You could cast magic by saying only the technique's name, without an incantation. And there really was a Tempest Lightning.'

"It was the strongest lightning spell in that world."

'The bandits hit by it wouldn't get off unscathed.'

"Of course not. He struck first, and the bandits were wiped out. Then the merchant he'd saved said, 'Please, allow me to entertain you at my manor for the night.'"

'A pretty common development.'

"Shiano didn't mind, so he said with a weary air, 'I'd like to hurry on, though... Resound, Tempest Lightning.'"

'He hit the merchant with the strongest spell.'

"Shiano himself muttered, 'I screwed up... Resound, Tempest Lightning.'"

'He followed it up with another attack. But how scummy that Hero was depends on what his original catchphrase was.'

"Anyway, it added a little spice to their journey."

'That's far too spicy. Didn't the Hero try to do something about it?'

"Shiano wasn't stupid. He realized his usual catchphrase had turned into one of the strongest spells. But all he did was mutter, 'Resound, Tempest Lightning.'"

'So he left it alone. Was that an "Oh, well" moment?'

"He could cast the strongest spell—which normally should've been beyond his mana—with no risk."

'Was that due to your power?'

"Since I was a concept, I had no physical stamina, but my mental strength and mana were extremely high."

'I'm more surprised you had stats at all.'

"Shiano accepted it as a side effect of awakening as a Hero."

'Since his careless catchphrase had turned into the strongest spell, I suppose it wasn't strange to see it as a kind of trial.'

"But he also had a habit of talking to himself, so he said it all the time."

'Right, that was another one of his traits.'

"When a sudden rain started, he'd say, 'Ugh, Resound, Tempest Lightning.'"

'He made it sound like the Hero had summoned the rain clouds.'

"If a medicinal herb he'd planned to buy at an item shop sold out right in front of him, he'd say, 'If only I'd left a little earlier... Resound, Tempest Lightning.'"

'That's a nasty way to take out his frustration on the item shop.'

"When he ate his favorite cake, he'd say, 'Should I start with the shortcake? No, maybe cheesecake... Resound, Tempest Lightning—Aaaaaah!'"

'That anguished scream slipped in there.'

"There were other times, too, like when he was figuring out a dungeon's gimmick: 'Hmm, this door's handle is—Resound, Tempest Lightning.'"

'So it reacted to other words, not just "Just my luck" in the sense of being unlucky.'

"Setting aside the times he caught people nearby in the blast, it was only after losing his beloved cake that Shiano began trying his best not to talk."

'There must have been earlier incidents that deserved more remorse.'

"Even as a taciturn character, Shiano was a Hero, and companions joined him, drawn by his achievements and kind-hearted deeds."

'By the way, what were the party members' classes?'

"Two Warriors and a Martial Artist."

'That's a lopsided party. With the strongest spell, maybe they didn't need a mage, but they could've used a healer.'

"There were a girl mage and a girl priest, but Shiano was a natural harem magnet, so he was always getting dragged into their lovers' quarrels."

'Ah, those sorts of protagonists hate women fighting over them.'

"Right. There were plenty of times he'd unleash it, saying, 'Again... Resound, Tempest Lightning.'"

'You hit the heroines with the strongest spell, too. Impressive.'

"He explained the situation, so the flags remained, but to keep things peaceful, they formed an all-male party."

'A harem magnet who can't stand harems is, in a way, missing out on life.'

"I wish I could become a harem magnet, too."

'You already did at the beginning, when you became the rib of a Hero with a harem constitution.'

※See Chapter One.

"I meant I wanted to be one myself. You might think an all-male party would make for a boring story without any women, but it actually unfolded in a pretty cheerful, friendly way."

'Things would get awkward if a couple formed within the party, after all.'

"There was a couple."

'There was? Submit a detailed report on them later.'

"They weren't two pretty boys, though. It was an older-guy type and a boyish type."

'That's fine. Within my acceptable range.'

"I'll compile the report later, but at last, the final battle against the Demon King began."

'I feel like I haven't heard much about them having a proper adventure.'

"Shiano was so capable, almost like someone reincarnated from another world, that there was barely any excitement."

'The most that happened was a couple forming among the companions?'

"Compared with the Tempest Lightning Shiano occasionally unleashed on his companions, everything else had less impact."

'He really did unleash it on them. How did they survive?'

"They maxed out their lightning resistance."

'They were on maximum alert.'

"They still ended up near death, though."

'The strongest spell is nothing to trifle with.'

"Back to the battle against the Demon King. As you'd expect, the Demon King was incredibly powerful, and the Martial Artist protecting Shiano when he was caught off guard and put in a tight spot took a mortal wound."

'Was that Martial Artist one half of the couple?'

"No, he was one of the leftovers."

'Then who cares?'

"He does have ten good-looking siblings back home, though."

'That's a few too many; they'll blur together. Deduction.'

"Harsh. Cradling the dying Martial Artist, Shiano said, 'Hold on! Ah, why? Why did it have to end like this? This—Resound, Tempest Lightning!'"

'He went for the finishing blow.'

"But the Martial Artist's heart started beating again instead."

'The strongest spell turned into CPR? I thought he'd be charred black.'

"His lightning resistance was maxed out."

'An unexpected side effect.'

"With their companion miraculously revived, Shiano and the others' morale soared, and they managed to defeat the Demon King."

'A boost in morale from a miracle really is powerful.'

"Then my time had come, too."

'Can a catchphrase really come to an end?'

"Shiano lamented his misfortune, but that catchphrase he thought was unlucky brought good fortune and saved his companions' lives. After that, his catchphrase became things like 'This is the best.'"

'I see. So his pessimistic personality turned optimistic.'

"When his catchphrase was overwritten, I temporarily left Shiano's body. I could've possessed him again if it changed to something like 'Perish, Prison Flame,' but I didn't want to make his life even spicier now that it had taken a turn for the better."

'Couldn't you have made it an ordinary catchphrase?'

"I see. That was an option."

'The fact that you didn't think of that makes me question your potential for growth.'

"Also, sorry, but since I was a conceptual being, I couldn't grab a souvenir this time."

'A souvenir isn't mandatory.'

"But I did learn Tempest Lightning."

'The strongest spell in that world, huh? Let's see you use it on me.'

"You're awfully confident, but it might hurt quite a bit."

'No problem.'

"Then excuse me... Resound, Tempest Lightning."

'Hmm, that might help with my stiff shoulders a little.'

"Terrifying. But with a chest as big as yours, you shouldn't have stiff shoulders—"

'Resound, Tempest Lightning.'